In Cameroon, history seems frozen in time. For forty-three years, power has had only one face: that of Paul Biya. The ninety-two-year-old president has just secured an eighth term in office, which should extend his reign for another seven years. Officially, he won 53.7 percent support in the October 12 presidential election, against 35.2 percent for his main opponent, the seventy-nine-year-old former minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary.
Yet, this “reelection” hasn’t gone down well. Many Cameroonians are deeply weary, and Issa Tchiroma Bakary is challenging the results. He denounces massive fraud both during and after the contest, some of which involved agents of electoral supervisory board Elecam and was filmed by voters on the ground. He claims victory — and has urged his supporters to take to the streets.
In the north, his stronghold, as well as in the west, his instructions have been heeded. Several cities have seen demonstrations, as well as “dead city” operations on Monday, November 3, which paralyzed economic activity.
The protests have been accompanied by violence. Public buildings, shops, and private property were set on fire, ransacked, and looted, and security forces made hundreds of arrests. In Douala, a bustling port city that has always been an opposition stronghold, at least four people were reported killed on Sunday October 26 in clashes with the police. According to two United Nations sources, regime security forces have killed a total of forty-eight people in suppressing post-election protests. Strife had already broken out during the count: in Dschang, in the west of the country, young people, suspecting fraud, set fire to the ruling party’s headquarters and a wing of the courthouse housing Elecam.
Just a few months ago, no one would have bet on Issa Tchiroma Bakary as the voice of “change.” The leader of a micro-party, he joined the regime in the early 1990s after a stint in the opposition. As communications minister and government…
Auteur: Fanny Pigeaud
